


Childish Beginnings

by KatLikesWriting



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, M/M, Non-Canon Relationship, Out of Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-24 03:15:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17696615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatLikesWriting/pseuds/KatLikesWriting
Summary: Part of my Wood/Flint series. The Prequel. What if Wood and Flint had been childhood friends, and then being sorted into Gryffindor and Slytherin had split them up. What if their childhood female friend, unwittingly got between them ass they grew? Maybe that was just until they began to feel something more for one another.





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- Separation Anxiety

 

The three of them sat, by the edge of the river. It was the last day of summer holidays. One was a beautiful little girl, with milk-white skin, and short golden hair. Her eyes, were a clear green, she was very tiny for her age of eleven years. The boy to her left was handsome, with night-black hair and sapphire-like eyes, tall for his age. The other boy, the one to her right, was burly but handsome as well. His hair was a deep, rich brown with, chocolate-brown eyes. They were next-door neighbors since before they were born.  
  
“Tomorrow, can you believe it!?” she said, happily. Her name was Emilia Raine. The boy to her left was called Marcus Flint and the boy on her right, was Oliver Wood.   
  
“Yeah! We finally get to go to Hogwarts!” Oliver said, laughing.  
  
“We’ll all join the Quidditch team and be together all the time. Right Emilia?” Marcus said, smiling at the both of them.  
  
“Marcus you know I don’t like being called that! It’s Emily. But, what if we get sorted into different houses?” Emily asked, reminding him.  
  
“No way, Em! They’d be stupid to separate us!” Marcus declared, standing.  
  
“Friends forever, right?” Oliver said, looking up at Marcus.  
  
“Yeah, friends forever!” Marcus said, taking Emily’s hand, and pulling her to her feet.  
  
“Promise?” Oliver asked, standing as well.  
  
“Promise”, Marcus replied. With that being said, the three headed towards their homes.  
  
The next morning, Oliver walked to the platform, with his parents Gale and Olivia Wood. Marcus and his parents Marius and Ursula Flint, were already on Platform 9 ¾. Emily and her parents, Edward and Emina Raine, were just getting through the parking lot. “Come on Mum! Dad! We’re going to be late!” Emily called, as she ran toward the entrance to Kings Cross Station. Emily ran ahead, spotting Oliver’s family. “Oliver!” she called, running to him.  
  
“Emily!!” Oliver yelled, happily. She ran into his arms, and he hugged her tightly.  
  
“Sorry we were late. Edward had a hard time waking up”, Emina said to Olivia and Gale.  
  
“It’s fine, let’s go we’re running late”, Gale said, taking his wife’s hand, as they all walked through the barrier. They were finally there; Emily and Oliver then spotted Marcus.  
  
“Marcus!!” they both yelled, running toward, their dark haired friend.   
  
“I thought you’d never get here”, Marcus said, hugging Emily, and smiling at Oliver. They all said their goodbyes to the parents and walked onto the Hogwarts Express. Finally, they had found a compartment together.  
  
“What took you guys?” Marcus asked, as Emily stared at him.  
  
“Sorry, dad woke up late”, Emily answered, looking back to Oliver.   
  
“We were late because dad had trouble driving the muggle automobile”, Oliver replied.  
  
“My dad would never drive or use anything muggle-made”, Marcus said, flipping his hair from his eyes.  
  
“I like those silly muggle contraptions”, Emily said, staring at Marcus again. Oliver looked over at Emily, pretty Emily. He was so lucky to have her as a friend, and Marcus too. A few hours later, the three met Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper and crossed the Black Lake. They all assembled at the doors to the Great Hall, and were led in, by a stern looking woman, with square spectacles. Then, the sorting began.  
  
“Amphiptere, Suzanne”, Prof. McGonagall called. A small girl with straight auburn hair went to the stool.   
  
She sat for a moment before the hat yelled out, “Slytherin!” She went and sat at the least populated table. A few more were called before it was finally Marcus’s turn.   
  
“Flint, Marcus”, she said. Flint stood, and smiled to himself. Walking straight and somewhat march-like, he approached the stool. Emily exhaled slowly as, Oliver took her hand.  
  
Just a second after the hat touched his head, the hat yelled out, “SLYTHERIN!!”  
  
Oliver’s face fell and Emily’s heart stopped, as they watched their friend walk to the Slytherin table. Oliver and Emily had been warned about Slytherin House, and felt sad for their friend. A few more sortings later and it was Emily’s turn.  
  
“Raine, Emilia”.  
  
Emily walked, nervously. She was the tiniest of all her year and was very scared. She sat on the stool and Prof. McGonagall placed the tattered hat on her head.   
  
A few more moments and the hat yelled out “RAVENCLAW!!” Immediately, the smile on Marcus’s face fell. His Emily was in Ravenclaw. Away from him. A few more kids, were called before it was finally Oliver’s turn.  
  
“Wood, Oliver”.  
  
He walked forward, more nervous than Emily had been. He sat and the hat was placed upon his head. He sat there for a moment, hearing the hat’s whispers.  
  
“Ah, a passion for Quidditch, like Gale Wood and compassion for all things living, like Olivia Brian. Your parents? I presume?” the hat whispered.  
  
“Yes…” Oliver breathed, surprised that the hat made that distinction.  
  
“I know just where to put you. GRYFFINDOR!” the hat called out.  
  
Oliver was immensely relieved but, he still felt a knot in his stomach. Exactly as he had feared, Emily, Marcus, and himself, had all been separated. “Shite…” Oliver muttered, as he walked to the table, clad in scarlet and gold. After the banquet, Emily ran to Oliver, who was standing with Marcus.   
  
“I knew it…” she sniffed, as tears gleamed in her crystal-green eyes.  
  
“Don’t worry Em. We’ll still be bestfriends”, Marcus said, hugging her tightly.  
  
“Forever”, Oliver said, patting her back, softly.  
  
Emily looked up, and smiled as, Marcus wiped her tears away. “See you in the morning”, Marcus said, joining his fellow Slytherins.  
  
“Don’t be sad Em, I’ll see you in the morning”, Oliver said, kissing her cheek.  
  
They all walked their separate ways.  
  
Second Year  
  
“I still don’t understand what’s so bad about my mates Oli. Why do you dislike them so much?” Marcus said, crossing his arms.  
  
“They are all a bunch of bigoted prats! They never say anything good about any house, other than their own. Marcus, why do you like them?” Oliver asked, crossing his arms as well. They both turned away from eachother. It was an uncomfortable ten minutes, before they could see Emily’s tiny frame and bobbing golden waves.   
  
As she approached her two friends, she realized that they were turned away from eachother and not speaking. She frowned as she reached the spot between them. “Marcus? Oliver? What’s wrong?” Emily asked, concerned.   
  
“Oliver was just insulting my mates”, Marcus said, still turned away.  
  
“Maybe if your mates didn’t curse anyone who wasn’t in Slytherin, I wouldn’t insult them!” Oliver yelled, turning.  
  
“Hey! They don’t do anything to you or Emily, because I tell them not to!” Marcus said, turning as well.  
  
It was perhaps a good thing that Emily was several inches shorter than the two. They would have been yelling in her face, if not for her short height. “Stop! You guys are being so stupid!” Emily cried out, trying to push them away from eachother but, to no avail. They looked down at her before, resuming their argument.  
  
“What about everyone else?! You wanker!” Oliver yelled at him.  
  
“Sod off! If that’s the way you want it then don’t even talk to me!” Marcus yelled, stomping off.  
  
Emily stared at Marcus’s retreating back, and then up at Oliver. His face was crumpled in pain and sadness. How did this happen? The other day, they were all so happy. “Oliver, what brought this on?” Emily asked, taking his hand.  
  
“I just can’t stand his Slytherin mates. They’re not good people Em”, Oliver said, looking down at his friend. Pretty Emily.  
  
“I know Oliver, but they are Marcus’s friends. We don’t have to like them but, you shouldn’t insult them either. Marcus is our friend, we have to put up with his friends, just like he has to put up with ours”, Emily said, as they walked past the lake. They walked in silence, not a very comfortable one like usual. “He will get over it, Oliver. Just, give him some time. You’ll see”, Emily said, fingering a lock of her golden hair. It was now almost past her chin.  
  
“You know it’ll be more than a while. Marcus is very stubborn. He’s not going to forgive me easily. He can forgive you, because he fancies you”, Oliver said, bitterly.  
  
“Oh hush. He does not fancy me Oliver”, Emily said, though she blushed brightly.  
  
“The way he looks at you…” Oliver muttered, as he walked.  
  
“Oliver, we’re only friends you know. I love you guys the same way”, she said, blushing again.  
  
“Yeah, well, I’ll see you later Em. I have to…ask Charlie about the newest play, for the Quidditch game this coming Saturday”, Oliver said, hastily. He let her hand drop, and ran off.  
  
Emily stood, gazing after him. Oliver…her Oliver. She should feel lucky. She was bestfriends, with the two best looking guys at Hogwarts. But, she had a small problem: She likes both of them, too much.  
  
\----------------------------------------Marcus Flint----------------------------------------  
  
He walked past several faces. His face, a contorted mix of rage and sadness. How could Oliver say those things? Why didn’t Emily stand up for him? Why did she stay with Oliver when, it was his fault? Emily was his friend too but, she always sided with Oliver. He pushed a few first years out of the way, as he walked on. He had grown quite a few inches over the summer.  
  
“Hello Marcus! Where’re you off too?” asked, a familiar girly voice. Marcus turned around to see the form of Lindsey Peters. A second year, with bleached-blonde hair. She had shown interest in Marcus immediately. He certainly was not interested in her and was not hesitant to say it.  
  
“I’m off to think Lindsey. Please, leave me alone”, Marcus said, side stepping to avoid her.  
  
“What? Going to find your little Ravenclaw friend? Or is it, that little Gryffindor blood traitor, you’re always around? Slytherins should stick together Marcus. They aren’t good enough for you”, Lindsey chided. God she was annoying.  
  
“THEY’RE BETTER COMPANY THAN YOU’LL EVER WISH TO BE, YOU DAFT COW!!” Marcus yelled, exploding on her. He stomped away, her cries, echoing shrilly in the otherwise empty corridors.  
  
He just felt angry all of the time, Oliver had no right to insult his friends. At least they weren’t afraid to pursue and gain what they wanted. Even though, and Marcus quite agreed with Emily on this; they were sometimes a bit rough. He did not like the way his mate Derrick sometimes gawked at Emily, like she was a piece of meat or something.   
  
“Hey Flint, why so miffed?” asked Suzanne. She was one of the nicer girls in Slytherin and smart too. She wasn’t annoying like Lindsey, not in the least. He looked at her from head to toe; she was thin, with dark hair, and pale blue eyes. All in all, she was pretty but, not as pretty as Emily.  
  
“Just had a run in with Peters. She is such a tart…” he said, lying. Well, he wasn’t lying about that. She did anger him even more. But, Oliver was the problem.  
  
“I see. Well, she has liked you since first year. She won’t give up until you are her’s”, Suzanne said, perusing her copy of The Daily Prophet.   
  
“I will never be with that…that…floozy!” Marcus said, turning very red in the face. He walked to his dorm and pulled the emerald curtains shut. He dropped onto his bed and looked to his left. There, behind the emerald hangings, he could make out the forms of himself, Emily, and Oliver, all in flying lessons. He turned away and sighed angrily. He did not want to have to think about Oliver at the moment.  
  
\--------------------------------------------Oliver Wood--------------------------------------------------------  
  
Oliver stopped running as soon as he was sure, Emily would not follow. He really wished that he and Marcus wouldn’t argue so much. They were supposed to be bestfriends; they weren’t supposed to fight everyday. “Stupid sorting hat…” Oliver muttered, as he walked to Gryffindor Tower. If the Sorting hat had not separated them, he and Marcus would not be fighting everyday. He had just gotten to the portrait and stopped for a minute.  
  
“Oliver…” said Emily’s voice.  
  
“Em! Merlin! You scared me, what’s wrong?” Oliver asked, walking to her.  
  
“I just can’t stand you two when you fight! I’m sick of it! I’m sick of Marcus ignoring me when he thinks I’m choosing you over him! I’m sick of telling him that I don’t choose sides! I’m both of your friend! I’m not choosing sides! If you two don’t resolve this…I may have to find different friends”, Emily said to him.  
  
“Emily, don’t be that way! It’ll all blow over, we’ll stop fighting. You’ll see, Marcus is our bestfriend, this won’t happen again”, Oliver said, grabbing her and pulling her into his arms.  
  
“Oliver…I trust you…please stop crushing me”, Emily’s muffled voice said as; she was smushed against his chest.  
  
“Sorry Em…” Oliver said, letting her go. At this point, Oliver wanted to kiss her. He wasn’t supposed to feel that way, at least not until third year but, he did. He really loved Emily, a lot.  
  
“It’s okay, well; I’m going to go find Marcus to talk to him. See you Oliver”, she said.  
  
“Wait!” he said, grabbing her hand.  
  
“What is it?” she asked looking up at him.  
  
“I forgot to give you this”, Oliver said, bending over slightly and kissing her cheek.  
  
“Oh…erm…I…uh...thanks Oli”, she said, walking away, blushing brightly.  
  
Oliver smiled to himself before finally entering Gryffindor Common Room...


	2. Of Quidditch and Crushes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two.

\-------------------------------------------Emily Raine-------------------------------------  
  
Emily walked down the numerous staircases rushing. Hopefully, Marcus wouldn’t be too miffed to talk to her. She didn’t think she could bare it if he was mad at her again, for nothing. She reached the Slytherin dungeons and stood patiently. Hopefully, she wouldn’t have to stand there for long before someone would come and help her. She prayed silently that Lindsey Peters would not be the one to find her.  
  
The wall slid open, revealing a tall shadowed figure. Emily looked up and let out a sigh of relief. “Marcus!” she cried out, lunging herself on top of him.  
  
“Em! I was just going to find you”, Marcus said, not letting her go. His arms were wrapped around her tiny waist and her hair tickled his chin.  
  
“Marcus please…don’t ever think that I choose sides. I love you both the same”, Emily whispered.  
  
Marcus buried his face in her golden waves, and inhaled deeply. “I know, I won’t do it anymore. I promise” Marcus whispered, kissing her head.   
  
“You promise?” Emily asked, looking up at Marcus.  
  
“Of course I do Em. I will always keep my promises to you” Marcus said, pushing her chin up so he could gaze into her stunning crystal-green eyes.  
  
“Yes…I guess you do…but…what about your promises to Oliver?” Emily asked, her jade-like eyes, burning into his sapphire ones.  
  
“Emily…Oliver doesn’t exactly keep his promises to me? Does he?” Marcus asked her, rubbing his thumb against her chin.  
  
“Marcus, don’t say that. Oliver does, he does…you just-“  
  
And then he kissed her cheek, this may not have been the kiss but, it was a kiss to stop her mid-sentence. She did not think Marcus felt that way about her. She was wrong, he did and so did Oliver.  
  
“Marcus, just please, give Oliver another chance, we all promised we’d be best friends forever” Emily pleaded, trying to put the feeling of his lips against her cheek, out of his mind.  
  
“I know Em, I’m really sorry that you have to suffer when we fight. It won’t happen again. I promise” Marcus said, dropping his hand.  
  
“Okay, oh! I got chaser on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team! Just like my Dad!” Emily said, excitedly. She had wanted to tell them all morning as, Quidditch Tryouts were held the day before.  
  
“Congrats Em! I made Chaser for Slytherin today! Oliver told me he was made seeker for the Gryffindor team. We’ll all get to play Quidditch now!” Marcus exclaimed, hugging her tightly, so that she was several inches off the ground.  
  
“Marcus please! Put. Me. Down!” Emily groaned, though she was smiling.  
  
“Sorry, Em, I’m just so happy. I can’t wait to tell Oliver” Marcus said, letting her go and blushing slightly.  
  
“We’ll have to wait though, he went up to his dormitory” Emily said, looking down at her already scuffed shoes.  
  
“Oh, so…what do you want to do now?” Marcus asked, somewhat awkwardly.  
  
“I have to go, I’m meeting my tutor, he’s a fifth year and really smart. Bye Marcus”, Emily said, walking away, completely red in the face.  
  
Marcus stared after her, a strange feeling, bubbling up in his stomach. Something he felt, everytime she left with Oliver.  
  
\-----------------------------------------------Oliver---------------------------------------  
  
“Hey Oliver! Come ‘ere mate” Charlie Weasley called.  
  
“Hey Charlie, what’s up?” Oliver asked the stocky fifth year.  
  
“Quidditch practice is after dinner, don’t be late” Charlie said to him.  
  
Oliver nodded eagerly before running up to his dormitory. As he reached his four poster, Oliver threw open his trunk and rifled through it. He was looking for his quill and some parchment, he had to write to his mother and father and tell them he made keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Just like his dad.  
  
\-------------------------------------------Marcus and Oliver------------------------------  
  
Marcus walked down to the Great Hall for something to eat, wondering what Oliver was up to. At least he knew that Emily was not playing favorites. Ah, Emily…pretty Emily. Why couldn’t he just tell her? What if that stupid fifth year tries something with her? He had to stop him! He knew they would be in the empty Charms classroom, and so he ran.  
  
As he rounded the corner, he ran right smack into someone. He looked down and saw Oliver, looking quite bemused. “Oli! I’m sorry I was such a git! I’m sorry!” Marcus said, hugging his friend.  
  
“Marcus? Why were you running, and at least help me up” Oliver said, grinning. “I forgive and I’m sorry too”, Oliver added, as Marcus helped him up.  
  
“Come on! We have to save Emily!” Marcus said to him.  
  
“What’s wrong with her? Where is she? Oliver asked, suddenly worried.  
  
“She’s getting tutored by a fifth year!” Marcus said, miserably.  
  
“So…?” Oliver said, looking up at him.  
  
“A BOY FIFTH YEAR!!” Marcus declared, dramatically.  
  
“WHAT??! Let’s go!” Oliver yelled, running with Marcus.  
  
As the two boys reached the door to the Charms classroom, Oliver tripped and took Marcus down with him. They both crashed into the door and slid in front of Emily and the fifth year, Marcus on top of Oliver. Both boys looked up to see a tall and handsome fifth year Ravenclaw. He had straight bronze-like hair and icy blue-grey eyes. Next to him, was Emily looking quite horrified.  
  
“Eh…Hi Em…” Oliver muttered as the three friends turned completely red in the face. The fifth year merely looked confused and somewhat amused.  
  
“What are you two doing?”, she asked, looking devastated.   
  
“We came to rescue you…Em…” Oliver muttered, turning bright red.  
  
“Uh…erm…yeah…”, Marcus muttered, getting off of Oliver’s back.  
  
Oliver stood and the two second year boys were not looking at Emily. She looked like she was getting ready to cry.  
  
“So, these are your friends, Emilia?” the fifth year asked, smiling at them.  
  
“Yes…these two prats are my friends…”, Emily replied, blushing angrily.  
  
“My name is Leon Hale, I’m tutoring Emilia in Advanced Charms and such. I’ve heard a lot about you two”, said Leon.  
  
“Oh…”  
  
With that being said, the two boys ran out of the Charms classroom leaving Emily red with embarrassment and Leon, laughing heartily. Those boys were quite strange in Leon’s mind. Why would their friend need rescuing? Did they think Leon was some kind of pervert? Twelve year-olds were a bit over imaginative.  
  
“I’ll see you again next week…”, Emily muttered as she rushed after her two friends.  
  
Leon waved but, she was already out the door. He just shook his head, smiled and left the empty Charms room.  
  
\---------------------------------------Oliver, Marcus, and Emily-------------------------  
  
“HEY!! WAIT UP!” Emily called, finally catching up to her two flustered friends. Her crushes.  
  
Marcus and Oliver stopped and turned to face their short and angry friend. They both looked down and thought the exact same thing. She’s even pretty when she’s miffed. They both smiled to themselves and Emily’s frown turned into a small smile. They seemed to have made up and she just couldn’t stay mad at them.  
  
“Don’t do that again, guys. Leon is just helping me so that I can take advanced classes next year”, Emily said, sternly, but at the same time, softly.  
  
“Okay, sorry Em. We were just worried, that’s all. Fifth boys are too um…never mind”, Marcus said, looking at Oliver for help.  
  
“Yeah, and besides, we made up. Right, mate?” Oliver asked, looking up at Marcus. He was the tallest second year, after all.  
  
“Of course we did! And we’ll never fight again!” Marcus said, nodding at Emily.  
  
“Promise?” Emily asked, looking up at her two bestfriends-now-crushes.  
  
“We promise”


	3. Injured

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Three

Third Year  
  
It was Saturday now, things had been somewhat improved between Marcus and Oliver. To say the least, they were no longer fighting in front of Emily. They decided to try to get along, no matter how hard it was, these days. Their hormones were running even wilder and they both seemed to realize that both of them liked Emily, making it more difficult to get along.  
  
Oliver was sitting by the lake, waiting for Emily’s tutoring with that sixth year Leon Hale. That was the only thing Marcus and Oliver didn’t fight about, him. Leon. The sixth year. They hated him so much. He was stealing their Emily away.  
  
He could see Marcus’ still growing night-black hair, floating lithely around his handsome yet un-likable face. Oliver remembered what Marcus had once said about his silky black hair. He’d said, he’d never cut it short. It was just passing his ears that year. Emily’s golden waves of silk-like hair were quickly growing past her shoulders. She was even more beautiful than she was before.  
  
“Hey Oliver, where’s Em” Marcus asked, his newly deepened voice. Oliver’s voice was changing as well but, he did not have that low sensual tone, Marcus had inherited.  
  
Oliver looked up at his friend, he was currently sitting in the grass. “She’s finishing her tutoring” Oliver said, looking back down at his copy of Quidditch Through The ages.  
  
“Oh, I hate that stupid Ravenclaw. I’m sure he just wants to shag Emily” Marcus said, sitting down next to him.  
  
“Me too” Oliver agreed. This was actually one of their first peaceful moments they’d had in a long time, without Emily. It was nice and comfortable silence, not like the usual awkward ones they shared with Emily. It made Oliver think that maybe, just maybe, everything between them would be fine.  
  
“Hi! Guys! Have you been waiting long?” Emily called, running to her two friends.  
  
“No, not really. How’s Hale?” Marcus asked, somewhat bitterly.  
  
“He is so smart. I’ve learned loads from him. I can’t wait to start my advanced classes next term!” Emily beamed, sitting in between her two friends.  
  
“That’s great Em! But, are you sure you’re ready for advanced classes?” Oliver asked, catching a fly-away strand of her golden hair, between his fingers.   
  
“Of course I’m sure Oli, I’ve been studying for this a long time. Leon is such a good tutor” Emily answers, happily. She blushed slightly as Oliver continued to play with the loose strands.  
  
Marcus’ eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Oliver in pure jealousy. Marcus wanted to know if Emily liked him or Oliver better. She can’t like both of us, could she? No, of course not. I am way better than Oliver. I’m better at Quidditch, better looking, and smarter. Yeah, definitely smarter. Em can’t like him better than she likes me. Marcus thought, as his mind grew more Slytherin-like everyday. Also, his father had been complaining about his increasingly long black hair.  
  
“You hair is getting ridiculously long Marcus. It's time you cut it! And while we are talking about cutting, it’s high time you cut ties with that Wood boy and that little girl. Flints are too noble to be cavorting with blood traitor filth” Marcus’ father had said.  
  
But Marcus didn’t want to stop being friends with Emily. He loved her, and in some ways, he still loved Oliver. Even though, these days it was getting harder for Marcus to even be around Oliver. Especially, when he wanted to be alone with Emily, to tell her how he feels.   
  
“Are you excited about the upcoming match of Quidditch?” Emily asked, looking it Marcus.  
  
“Em, are you forgetting that the upcoming match is Gryffindor vs. Slytherin?” Oliver said, before Marcus had a chance to speak.  
  
“There is no way Gryffindor will be us. Slytherin has won the House Cup since the late seventies” Marcus said, proudly.  
  
“This year Gryffindor is going to win! We’ve been practicing loads and a new Chaser just joined up, she flew circles around everyone at tryouts and she’s in second year! Alicia Spinnet is one of the best Chasers on the team!” Oliver replied, angered by Flint’s comment.  
  
“Ha! What makes you think a girl is going to make the difference on your team? Our team is way superior!” Marcus spat. He was sick of Oliver’s ranting now.  
  
Emily just stayed quiet and watched as the two argued. She was way too used to this. She also knew that it wouldn’t make a difference if she tried to stop them. She was just too small. Emily walked away, deciding to take a book out of the library.  
  
“Well then, see you on the pitch, Flint” Oliver said, through gritted teeth.  
  
“May the best House win, Wood” Flint retorted, his jaw clenched tightly.  
  
With those last words, Oliver and Marcus turned away from eachother and did not speak another word, until the very next morning.  
  
“Oliver! I’m sorry about yesterday, I was an arse” Marcus said, before the match.  
  
“It’s okay Marcus, I’m sorry too”, Oliver said, hugging Marcus. They were both already on their way to the pitch. They were the last two left in the castle as; everyone else was already at the pitch. “Good luck” Oliver said, smiling.  
  
“You too, Oli” Marcus said, as they separated to their Team locker rooms.  
  
\----------------------------After the Match------------------------------------------  
  
“I can’t believe you, Marcus! How could you do that to Oliver!?” Emily cried, as they both rushed up the steps to the Hospital Wing.  
  
“I didn’t mean to! I just got so angry!” he said to her.   
  
“You even injured that girl, Alicia Spinnet! How could you Marcus”, Emily asked, sobbing lightly.  
  
“I didn’t mean to do it Emily! I wasn’t thinking!” Marcus yelled as they finally entered the Hospital wing.  
  
“You’re damn right you weren’t thinking” Oliver’s angry voice said, weakly. He was lying down on one of the beds, his head in bandages as well as his arm. He looked very pale and sweaty, practically white under the already-crusted mud.  
  
“Oliver! Oh my goodness! You’re okay!” Emily cried, sobbing loudly. She ran to his bed and held his good hand.  
  
Marcus stood by the door and felt a sudden burst of jealousy in his chest. Oliver had not been playing fairly either; he had almost pushed Marcus off of his broom. Why was Emily not mad at him as well? Why would Emily be sticking up for Oliver so much, sure he was injured but, Marcus was her friend too.  
  
“I think it’s time to admit to ourselves Flint that, we’ve grown apart. We just can’t be friends, not when you almost killed me and Alicia. You are just as bad as the other Slytherins and your mates” Oliver explained, wincing a bit. Were his ribs broken too?  
  
“Fine then, I don’t need to be friends with blood traitor filth like you!” Marcus snapped. He then stomped out of the Hospital Wing. Emily’s cries did not reach him now. That was the day, Marcus Flint and Oliver Wood became enemies.  



	4. Realizations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Four.

Fourteen year old Oliver Wood sat by the Black Lake with his best friend Emily Raine. Her golden hair was almost completely down her back now. Oliver looked ahead, muttering as Emily tried to console him.

"Look at'im. Bloody git cut his hair, it looks so stupid spiked up front like that. Showing off for a bunch of slags. Hmmph" he muttered.

"It's okay Oli, he'll come back to us" Emily said, tearing up a bit. She wanted her words to be true but, knew they couldn't be. Marcus was a cunning and cruel boy now, who cheated excessively in Quidditch.

"That's a lie Em, Flint won't ever be our Marcus again, I'm sorry" Oliver said, hugging her to his body, tightly.

Marcus looked up from the group of giggling Slytherin girls and his smirk soon turned into a frown. He watched jealously while Oliver hugged _his_ Emily, stroking her hair and whispering in her ear. "Excuse me ladies, I'll be right back" Marcus said, walking to where Emily and Oliver were embracing.

"I'll see you later Emily" Oliver said, letting her go. He walked the opposite way, not wanting to be near Marcus, and to avoid a confrontation.

"Emily what's wrong?" Marcus asked her, looking concerned.

"Everything is wrong Flint, everything! You and Oliver promised we'd all be friends forever and you broke it! I don't even know you anymore, we never even get to spend time together because everywhere you go, your fangirls follow!" Emily cried, turning away from Marcus.

"Emily, please don't cry and call me Marcus. Emily, I'm not the only one who broke our promise. Oliver did too. And, those girls don't mean anything to me, not Lindsey Peters, Regan Calloway, or even Suzanne Amphiptere!" Marcus said, grabbing onto her arms.

"If they don't mean anything to you, then who does?" Emily sobbed, lightly.

"You do Emily. You are the most important girl in my life!" Marcus declared.

"Oh, Marcus...I've waited a long time to hear you say that but, it's different now. You're different now" Emily sniffed, wiping away her tears.

"Emily, come to the dance with me tonight. As my date" Marcus said, hugging her to him, like Oliver had done earlier.

"I can't. I'm sorry Marcus" Emily, whispered, pushing him away and running towards the castle.

Marcus stared after her, sadly, and sat in the grass. It was a while before a pretty brunette in Slytherin colors, walked up to him, and looked down into his glum face. "Why so glum, Flint?" Suzanne asked, standing next to him.

"She said no. I asked her to the dance and she said _no_ " Marcus muttered.

"Well, I'd be happy to escort you to the dance myself Flint. As friends of course" she said, as casually as if she'd asked him to borrow a quill.

"Sure, but let's do it this way" Marcus muttered quietly, standing up, he took Suzanne's hands in his own. "Suzanne Amphiptere, I would be honored if you would accompany me to the dance tonight as my date" he declared in a clear voice, so that his fan girls stared at him in disbelief.

"Okay Fl-Marcus, I would love to be your date for the dance tonight" Suzanne answered, in a clearly loud voice, smirking as the girls looked daggers at her.

Marcus took her hand and kissed it as they began to walk towards the castle as well. It was only four more hours until the dance began and they had to look their best.

Oliver was sitting in the corner of Gryffindor common room looking quite put out at being rejected by Emily. "I bet she said yes to Flint.." he muttered to himself, unaware that Alicia Spinnet, his friend and teammate, was walking to him. She was in her third year and Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"Hey Oliver, what's bothering you?" she asked, sitting next to him.

"I don't have a date to the dance tonight because Emily said no to me" Oliver confessed.

"Oh, well at least you can go to the dance. I can't because I am in my third year" Alicia said, hoping to make him feel better about the situation.

"How about you go with me than Alicia? We are friends, it'll be good for the both of us. I won't be dateless and you'll actually be able to go" Oliver offered, smiling a little at the thought.

"Okay Oliver but, we're going to have to start getting ready now" Alicia said, smiling at him before running upstairs to comb her brown boy-short hair down into a feminine style. She also had to pick out her nicest dress. What color was Oliver going to wear? She didn’t want them to really match as they would look like a couple and she didn't want that. They were just two friends going to a dance together. She finally decided on her crimson dress, it was corsetted satin and the sleeves and flowing skirt were fashioned of pure silk. She had also applied a light blush and ruby eye shadow. All in all, she looked very lovely.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Oliver smiled. He was wearing scarlet dress robes and had actually taken the time to run a comb through his brown hair. "You look beautiful Alicia" Oliver said, taking her hand.

"Thank you Oliver and you look handsome yourself" she replied, as he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. Together, they walked out of the Common room, amidst the cat calls and wolf whistles.

Down in the Slytherin dungeons, Marcus waited in the common room for Suzanne to come out of her room. He hoped she would at least do something nice to her hair, instead of that usual ponytail of hers. He tapped his foot on the stone floor anxiously, as he waited for her to come down the steps. "Waiting for me?" Suzanne asked, coming down the steps. She wore a strapless emerald gown that flowed down to her feet, around her neck was a rare emerald on a delicate silver chain, her usually straight hair hung in loose curls around her face which she had artfully applied dark green and black eye shadow and mascara and her lips were a light creamy color not far from her own complexion.

Marcus's mouth fell open as the plain but pretty girl walked towards him looking like a goddess. "Wow Suzanne, you look...wow" Marcus stuttered, offering his arm to her.

"Thanks Flint, you look very wow too" Suzanne said, smiling as she took his arm. They walked out and smirked to themselves as Flint's fan club glared after them in pure loathing. Well, it was directed towards Suzanne anyway. Flint was very relieved and surprise by the lengths that Suzanne took to be presentable, he could definitely see this going somewhere tonight. Maybe finally, he'll lose his virginity. What better way with a friend than with some person he barely even knew? He did want Emily but, it seemed like she wanted Oliver.

Emily paced in the dormitory nervously, she looked in the mirror and smiled at herself, hoping she did an okay job at looking older. She wore a beautiful midnight-blue dress, made out of pure silk. It was also corsetted in satin and laced in the front, it was very Victorian style, it had been her mother's and fit perfectly. Her long golden waves were smoothed, straightened and done up into an elegant twist in the back of her head, a few tendrils of her hair framing her heart-shaped face. The makeup she wore was light and natural except for her eyes which were shadowed in sapphire.

"Well, it's now or never Emily" she said to herself as she walked out of her dorm and slowly down the stairs. She soon saw Leon standing straight ahead of her. He was looking even more handsome and dashing than usual. He was wearing brand new Sapphire dress robes and his long bronze hair was tied back with a black ribbon. His icy blue-grey eyes lit up as she approached his tall slender figure. "Did I keep you waiting long?" Emily asked, looking up at him as, she barely reached his shoulders.

 

"Not at all Emilia, not at all. Shall we go now?" he asked, offering her his arm and smiling warmly.

 

Emily nodded, unable to speak out of sheer happiness and utter nervousness. She wondered what everyone would think, she was after all a fourth year and her date was in his seventh and final year. Not to mention she was hardly noticed by anyone and Leon was extremely popular. The finally made their way to the Great Hall which was beautifully decorated for Valentine’s Day.

 

As she looked around, she saw Marcus and Suzanne sitting together at a table, with some of his Slytherin mates. Not far from that table, were Oliver and Alicia who were sitting with Charlie Weasley and her older sister Rosemary, who was also in her seventh year. She smiled seeing her sister finally with Charlie, the wizard of her dreams.

 

"There's your sister, would you like to join her table?" Leon asked, gesturing to the table where Oliver was sitting, looking like he was having a good time.

 

"Sure. Yeah. Okay" she said, trying to sound excited. This night was definitely going to put a strain on her sanity. She liked Oliver and Marcus but, now she found herself having even stronger feelings for Leon, what was the point of liking three boys?

 

"Oh Emily, you look so grown up!" Rosemary cried, smiling at her little sister. Rosemary looked like the beautiful female version of her father, with dark eyes and long flowing blonde hair. She was wearing a magenta gown, in 18th century gothic style. Her long hair was twisted into curls and hung past her waist, tied in a matching magenta silk ribbon. She looked like a model.

 

"Thank you Rose, you look gorgeous as always" Emily replied, avoiding Oliver's gaze.

 

"Hello Oliver, Alicia. This is Leon Hale, my date for the evening" Emily said, trusting Oliver not to say something stupid. Rose was now giving Leon an appraising look, but her eyes said, "Try anything funny and I'll curse your bollocks off".

 

"Hey, Em. Nice to see you again...Leon" Oliver muttered quite awkwardly.

 

"Hello Emily, nice to meet you Leon" Alicia said, smiling, all the while patting Oliver's back.

 

"May we join your table?" Suzanne asked, with an uncomfortable looking Marcus at her side.

 

"Yes, of course, go ahead" Rosemary said, smiling at the newcomers. Charlie, Alicia, and Oliver tensed as the two Slytherins joined their table. Oliver especially felt uncomfortable as, he and Marcus were now sworn enemies. Marcus looked anywhere but at Oliver and Emily.

 

"Hey Suzy, let's dance" Marcus said, in his cool calm voice.

 

"Sure, I love this song" Suzanne replied, taking his hand as he led her to the dance floor. Emily and Oliver watched Marcus and Suzanne with wary expressions. Oliver because he wanted to curse Flint for hurting Emily and Emily because she somewhat wished she could dance with him.

 

"What do you say Rose? Shall we shake up the dance floor?" Charlie asked, offering his hand, to Rosemary.

 

"Definitely!" she replied, taking his hand and practically running to where the couples were dancing. Emily watched as her sister fell head over heels for Charlie Weasley. She looked over and Leon was tapping his foot and bopping his head in time to the beat, and that was the moment she realized that what she felt for him was real. She also realized that was she'd felt all this time for Oliver and Marcus was just a little school girl crush. It meant nothing to what she felt for Leon, nothing.

 

"What do you say we burn some holes in the floor Em?" Leon asked, standing up. Emily blushed and nodded as she took Leon's hand and they both walked out onto the dance floor, near Rosemary and Charlie, who were now embraced tightly as a slow song came on.

 

Oliver sat glumly watching the dancing couples while Alicia hummed to the music. He didn't even know what to say to her. She seemed like she was having a good time just sitting there but, he didn't want to make her think he was always such a bad and boring date. "Hey Al, wanna dance?" Oliver asked, though he didn't even know how.

 

"I don't really know how to dance Oli but, thanks for asking" Alicia said, smiling at him.

 

"I don't know how to dance either, I thought we'd give it a go though. If you want to?" Oliver said, awkwardly.

 

"Okay. Let's give it a go then" Alicia said, standing up and taking Oliver's hand in her own.

 

They walked to where Marcus and Suzanne were now embraced extremely close and began to awkwardly sway to the music. It was actually kind of nice after a while. It got even better when a fast dance song came on. Everyone was having a good time. Well, it looked like that from the outside but, on the inside Oliver was struggling with his feelings for someone, who was not Emily. Oliver groaned inwardly as he was aroused by the droplets of sweat running down _his_ face, down _his_ lips, down into the collar of _his_ dress robes.

 

Oliver gasped as he realized that he no longer had a crush on Emily but, Marcus. "Oliver what's wrong?" Alicia asked, as they went to sit down.

 

"I don't have a crush on Emily anymore Al, I think..I know..I like Flint"


End file.
